Newbie Success -- My BA signup story

I had signed up a couple of times many years ago for the USAirways cards a couple of times but had no idea how far one could take signing up for cards and bonuses until a year or so ago. Around that time, I stumbled upon TPG at the right time and discovered the BA 100k credit card signup. My wife and I both signed up and I have been a causal lurker of TPG, MP, etc ever since.

I really haven't been able to take advantage of credit card churning because I have traditionally had a fair amount of credit card debt due to opening my own office a few years back, etc. I will have those cards paid off this year and am looking forward to getting into the game in the near future, though I hate having missed out on the Mint.

After getting the BA signup, I began looking a BA rewards and was horribly disappointed to see that "free" tickets had huge fees ($300+) and questioned the value of the awards. Fortunately after lurking on the travel sites I soon discovered that many times the value of FF miles lies in using them on a partner airline or for some other use....

Hence, I am pleased to say that I just booked a 9 day trip to Costa Rica in May using 120k of my wife 130k balance via American Airlines.

I haven't decided where to stay while we are there or what to do, other than I intend on visiting a couple of different areas during that time.

I plan to do a churn later this fall to get some hotel points and free nights for our trip, and when that time comes, I will be back asking for advice.

Now, I must decide what to do with my 130k in BA. I also have 130k in USAirways and she has 90k. I'm not sure why I am worried about getting more miles, but as I am sure you understand, I just know that I need them.

Wonderful - all of us are smiling and remembering the time when we first had that "AHA!" moment, realizing that this game was, indeed, winnable!

I remember about 9 years ago when I made my first partner redemption. I can verify that it seemed like a foreign language and I was extremely tentative and nervous. I read that I could use Cathay Pacific Asia Miles to book flights on BA - this was long before the high fees currently charged. My wife and I flew BA First Class from NY to Paris. Back then, BA wanted 150,000 miles each for First but the Cathay schedule then in effect offered the very same seats for 90,000 miles each. We transfered 145,000 Starwood points to Cathay (it took almost a month to complete the transfer!) and booked the tickets. We've never looked back.

As for the rest of the points, planning is a big part of the fun so enjoy yourself. And have a great time in Costa Rica!

Welcome to Milepoint! Congrats on having the patience and wherewithall to wander through the maze of redemption options! Costa Rica is supposed to be a great place (it's on our visit list), so I'll look forward to your trip report!

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